Sparkill Creek

Last updated
Sparkill Creek
SparkillCreek TidalSection.jpg
Sparkill Creek viewed from Ferdon Ave.
Location
Country United States
State New York, New Jersey
Counties Rockland, Bergen
Physical characteristics
Source 
 ⁃ location Clausland Mountain in Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States
 ⁃ coordinates 41°03′50″N73°56′40″W / 41.06389°N 73.94444°W / 41.06389; -73.94444
 ⁃ elevation230 ft (70 m)
Mouth Hudson River
 ⁃ location
 Piermont, Rockland County, New York, United States
 ⁃ coordinates
 41°02′18″N73°54′26″W / 41.03833°N 73.90722°W / 41.03833; -73.90722 Coordinates: 41°02′18″N73°54′26″W / 41.03833°N 73.90722°W / 41.03833; -73.90722
 ⁃ elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Length8 mi (13 km)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 ⁃ rightSparkill Brook

Sparkill Creek, is a tributary of the Hudson River in Rockland County, New York and Bergen County, New Jersey in the United States. It flows through the Sparkill Gap in the Hudson Palisades, which was created by a fault line which provided the only sea-level break in the Palisades. [1]

Contents

Sparkill Creek is 8 miles (13 km) long and drains 11.1 square miles (29 km2) of watershed. It begins from runoff from Clausland Mountain in Orangetown, New York. Small tributaries feed the creek as it flows through the hamlets of Blauvelt, Orangeburg, and Tappan, New York, the borough of Northvale, New Jersey, the hamlets of Palisades and Sparkill, and finally the village of Piermont, New York before emptying into the Hudson River at Piermont Marsh.

The creek is spanned in its tidal section by the Sparkill Creek Drawbridge, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. [2]

The creek is rich in history, beauty and ecological significance, [3] however its watershed has faced threats from Rockland County's population boom following the construction of the Tappan Zee Bridge [4] which have affected the health of the creek. The creek's flooding, as well as the pollution run off have caused problems for the areas through which it flows. [5] Fear of damage to a number of important historic sites from flooding has prompted some state aid to address the problem. [6]

The same fault line which allows Sparkill Creek to flow through the Palisades, also enabled the New York and Erie Railroad to construct a line down to the river, where it built a 1-mile (1.6 km) long pier at Piermont. There, goods from its trains were offloaded onto barges and floated down the river to New York City.

Etymology

The name Sparkill comes from the Dutch spar and the Middle Dutch kille , which translates literally to “Spruce Creek”. In this sense, the name Sparkill Creek is technically redundant as it would mean “Spruce Creek Creek”. The Dutch naming is reflective of the New York-New Jersey region, which features similarly named waterways, such as the nearby Dwars Kill, and others such as the Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull, Jan De Bakker's Kill, and Beaver Kill.

It was also known historically as Tappan Creek. [7]

Course

Sparkill Creek rises along the south border of Blauvelt State Park on the western flank of Clausland Mountain, part of the Hudson River Palisades. Coursing south, it enters the hamlets of Blauvelt and Orangeburg, flowing under NY 303 twice as it winds towards the hamlet of Tappan. Just north of the hamlet of Sparkill, the creek turns to the southwest and passes beneath the Palisades Interstate Parkway and, again, NY 303. Turning south again, the creek passes through downtown Tappan and crosses the New York border, entering Northvale, New Jersey. The creek abruptly turns to the east in Northvale, flowing a short distance before crossing the state line again and reemerging back into New York. Between Tappan and the hamlet of Palisades, Sparkill Brook joins the Creek from the south as its turns to the northeast and enters the Sparkill Gap, a break in the ridge of the Hudson River Palisades. [8]

Passing beneath US 9W and through the hamlet of Sparkill, the creek is impounded by a small dam forming Moore's Mill Pond. Below this dam it is impounded by a larger dam, forming Ferdon Mill Pond. Downstream of the large dam, part of a former mill complex in Piermont, the creek becomes tidal. This section of the creek was once navigable to commercial vessel traffic from the Hudson River, but it is now blocked by a low, fixed span, the Ferdon Ave Bridge, a quarter mile downstream of the former mill complex. Immediately before the Ferdon Ave Bridge is its predecessor, the Sparkill Creek Drawbridge, which when operational opened to allow Hudson River vessel traffic to travel upstream.

The portion of Sparkill Creek downstream of the Ferdon Ave Bridge is navigable to motorized vessels, and homes along this section of the waterway have docks for their watercraft. NOAA nautical chart #12343 Hudson River to Wappinger Creek covers this section of the creek, [9] and the electronic navigation version of this chart shows the majority of water depths along the waterway to be 0.6 meter, or approximately two feet, with some deeper and shallower spots. [10] The final section of the creek meanders three quarters of a mile through the Piermont Marsh before terminating at the Hudson River just south of Piermont Pier. [9] [10]

Tributaries and diversions

Sparkill Brook

Sparkill Brook is the chief tributary of Sparkill Creek. It flows generally north through New Jersey, beginning in Alpine and coursing through Norwood and Rockleigh before crossing the New York State border and merging with Sparkill Creek between the hamlets of Tappan and Palisades. [8] Confusingly, GNIS actually lists two entries for Sparkill Creek (IDs 880777 and 965946), one with the source just south of Blauvelt State Park (the head of Sparkill Creek proper), and one with the source in Alpine, New Jersey (the head of Sparkill Brook). [7] [11] This is consistent with historical works which show the source of Sparkill Creek to be either in New Jersey or New York, or both, with Sparkill Creek simply having a north and south branch.

Tappan Run Diversion

United Water, a subsidiary of Suez Environnement, maintains a diversion system on Sparkill Creek in Northvale, New Jersey. The diversion allows water from Sparkill Creek (Hudson River Basin) to be released into Tappan Run (Hackensack River Basin). [12] Tappan Run flows into Dorotockey's Run and ultimately the Oradell Reservoir, which is managed by United Water.

See also

Related Research Articles

Rockland County, New York County in New York

Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county's population, as of the 2010 United States Census, was 311,687, increasing to a 2019 Census estimate of 325,789, making it the third-most densely populated county outside New York City within New York State. The county seat is New City. Rockland County is a suburb of New York City that borders the boroughs about 9 miles northwest of the city at their closest points, and is accessible via the New York State Thruway, after 10 exits. The name derives from "rocky land", as the area has been aptly described.

Orangeburg, New York Census-designated place in New York, United States

Orangeburg is a hamlet and census-designated place, in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Tappan, south of Blauvelt, east of Pearl River and west of Piermont. The population was 4,568 at the 2010 census.

Orangetown, New York Town in New York, United States

Orangetown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States, located in the southeast part of the county. It is northwest of New York City, north of New Jersey, east of the town of Ramapo, south of the town of Clarkstown, and west of the Hudson River. The population was 49,212 at the 2010 census.

Piermont, New York Village in New York, United States

Piermont is a village incorporated in 1847 in Rockland County, New York, United States. Piermont is in the town of Orangetown, located north of the hamlet of Palisades, east of Sparkill, and south of Grand View-on-Hudson, on the west bank of the Hudson River. The population was 2,510 at the 2010 census. Woody Allen set The Purple Rose of Cairo, a fictional film within The Purple Rose of Cairo (1984) in Piermont.

Tappan, New York Census-designated place in New York, United States

Tappan from the Lenape word "tuphanne" thought to mean "cold water," is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located northwest of Alpine, New Jersey, north of Northvale, New Jersey and Rockleigh, New Jersey, northeast of Old Tappan, New Jersey, east/southeast of Nauraushaun and Pearl River, south of Orangeburg, southwest of Sparkill, and west of Palisades; Tappan shares a border with each. The population was 6,613 at the 2010 census.

Hackensack River river in New Jersey

The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River, which it roughly parallels, separated from it by the New Jersey Palisades. It also flows through and drains the New Jersey Meadowlands. The lower river, which is navigable as far as the city of Hackensack, is heavily industrialized and forms a commercial extension of Newark Bay. Once believed to be among the most polluted water courses in the United States, it staged a modest revival by the late 2000s.

Tappan Zee natural widening of the Hudson River

The Tappan Zee is a natural widening of the Hudson River, about 3 miles (4.8 km) across at its widest, in southeastern New York. It stretches about 10 miles (16 km) along the boundary between Rockland and Westchester counties, downstream from Croton Point to Irvington. It derives its name from the Tappan Native American sub-tribe of the Delaware/Lenni Lenape, and the Dutch word zee, meaning a sea.

The Northern Branch is a railroad line that runs from Jersey City to Northvale in northeastern New Jersey. The line was constructed in 1859 by the Northern Railroad of New Jersey to connect the New York and Erie Rail Road's Piermont Branch terminus in Piermont, New York, to Erie's Pavonia Terminal in Jersey City. The line was then extended to Nyack, New York, in 1870 and provided passenger service until 1966. Ownership of the line passed into the hands of Conrail upon the latter's formation in 1976.

Tallman Mountain State Park state park in New York, United States

Tallman Mountain State Park is a 687-acre (2.78 km2) state park in Rockland County, New York, located adjacent to the Hudson River in the Town of Orangetown just south of Piermont. It is part of the Palisades Interstate Park System.

Blauvelt State Park

Blauvelt State Park is a 644-acre (2.61 km2) undeveloped state park located in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, near the Hudson River Palisades. The park's land occupies the site of the former Camp Bluefields, a rifle range used to train members of the New York National Guard prior to World War I. The park is located south of Nyack.

Palisades, New York hamlet in New York

Palisades, formerly known as Sneden's Landing, is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Rockleigh and Alpine, New Jersey; east of Tappan; south of Sparkill; and west of the Hudson River.

Area code 845

Area code 845 is a telephone area code serving the mid- and lower Hudson Valley region of the U.S. state of New York. 845 serves Rockland, Putnam, Orange, and Ulster counties, and parts of Dutchess and Sullivan, Delaware, Greene, and Columbia counties. Area code 845 was created on June 5, 2000, from most of area code 914, which was retained by Westchester County.

Nauraushaun, which means "High Point" is a hamlet in the Town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey, along the northwestern shore of Lake Tappan; east of Chestnut Ridge; south of Pearl River and west of Blauvelt. It derives its name from a creek tributary, which was also known as Nauraushank. For many years the area was called Orangeville. Its location is 41°03′24.98″N73°59′34.01″W

Sparkill, New York Census-designated place in New York, United States

Sparkill, formerly known as Tappan Sloat, is a suburban hamlet and census-designated place in the Town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Palisades; east of Tappan; south of Piermont and west of the Hudson River. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 1,565. The hamlet is home to St. Thomas Aquinas College and the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill.

New York State Route 340 highway in New York

New York State Route 340 (NY 340) is a 3.10-mile (4.99 km) state highway in southeastern Rockland County, New York, in the United States. Though it is signed as an east–west route, it actually follows a north–south alignment. The southern terminus of the route is at the New Jersey state line in Palisades, where it becomes County Route 501 (CR 501). The northern terminus is at an intersection with NY 303 in Orangeburg; however, according to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the route continued for another 0.07 miles (0.11 km) to the northwest of NY 303 until by 2017. NY 340 was assigned to part of its modern routing in the early 1930s and extended to its current length in the early 1940s.

New York State Route 303 highway in New York

New York State Route 303 (NY 303) is a north–south state highway in eastern Rockland County, New York, in the United States. It begins at the New Jersey state line in the hamlet of Tappan and runs generally northward for 10.92 miles (17.57 km) to an intersection with U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) in Clarkstown. The route has connections to the Palisades Interstate Parkway and the New York State Thruway, the latter carrying Interstate 87 (I-87) and I-287. NY 303 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, and only minor realignments have occurred since that time.

Tappan Zee High School is a public high school located in Orangeburg, New York in Rockland County. The school serves students in grades 9-12 and is part of the South Orangetown Central School District. The school derives its name from the nearby Tappan Zee section of the Hudson River.

The recorded history of Rockland County, New York begins on February 23, 1798, when the county was formed as an administrative division of the state of New York. It is located 12 miles (19 km) north-northwest of New York City, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of New City. The name comes from rocky land, an early description of the area given by settlers. Rockland is New York's southernmost county west of the Hudson River. It is suburban in nature, with a considerable amount of scenic designated parkland. Rockland County does not border any of the New York City boroughs, but is only 9.5 miles (15.3 km) north of Manhattan at the counties' two respective closest points

Old Erie Path

The Old Erie Path is a 3.4 mile north-south rail trail in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York. It begins at the southern edge of South Nyack at the end of the Raymond G. Esposito Trail, spanning Grand View-on-Hudson and Piermont before terminating at the junction of the Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail in Sparkill. The trail is a dirt path, suitable for hiking and mountain biking.

Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail

The Joseph B. Clarke Rail Trail is a paved 3.8 mile north-south rail trail in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York. It begins at the Blauvelt Free Library on Western Highway in the hamlet of Blauvelt, and ends at the intersection of Oak Tree Road in the hamlet of Tappan. The trail intersects the Old Erie Path at Depot Square in Sparkill.

References

  1. ↑ "Piermont Pier and Marsh" Rockland Aubudubon Society
  2. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. ↑ Gumucio, Ron X (2002-12-23). "Exhibit to Focus on Sparkill Creek". The Journal News. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  4. ↑ "Rockland History". The Journal News. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  5. ↑ "Jaffee Announces $1.2 Million for Sparkill Creek". 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  6. ↑ Adely, Hannan (2008-06-03). "Orangetown gets $1.2 million to ease flooding along Sparkill Creek". The Journal News. p. A3. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  7. 1 2 "Sparkill Creek". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2011-09-03.
  8. 1 2 Topoquest (Map Center: N41.02360, W73.93973; overview of Sparkill Creek watershed). Topoquest.com, 2008-2010. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
  9. 1 2 NOAA Navigational Chart #12343, Hudson River to Wappinger Creek. 19th Edition, corrected though Oct-05. Available as a NOAA Raster Navigational Chart at the NOAA Office of Coast Survey RNC Downloads website.
  10. 1 2 NOAA Electronic Navigation Chart US5NY42M, Hudson River Yonkers to Piermont. View Online.
  11. ↑ "Sparkill Creek". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2011-09-03.
  12. ↑ USGS Water Data Report 2009 - 01376272 Sparkill Creek Diversion at Northvale, NJ. Summary of Annual Hydrologic Conditions - 2009. Available Online Archived 2011-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
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